‘Angels’ Assist Holiday Travelers

* Our family travels to Newport Beach every year from Northern California to spend Christmas with family; it is a long, seven-hour trip from our home in Oakdale.

As we were coming near the end of our trip on Christmas Eve, the honking of other cars warned us the cargo space on the top of our van had blown open: Two bags full of Christmas presents were missing. A sympathetic traveler told us that they had fallen near Brea Canyon.

My father exited the freeway and began to retrace our path. However, as if somehow losing our Christmas presents wasn’t enough, our van broke down. Pulling into a Mobil station, we called my grandparents to come and rescue us.

As my father was trying to negotiate with the mechanics at the Mobil station, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy pulled up. He asked us if we were OK and asked us if we needed help. I, almost in tears, told him that we’d lost our presents on the 57 Freeway. He quickly offered his assistance, to which my dad responded, “Are you an angel?” He took my dad to help him search for the lost packages.

My grandparents arrived, and we began trying to tell them the story. When the patrol car returned, Officer Bohnert stepped out of the car with the two bags of presents in the back seat. With shouts of joy, we hugged Officer Bohnert, and he drove away.

They had spotted the presents in the carpool lane; however, retrieving the presents from the 70-mph traffic was another thing. Officer Bohnert called for a tag team; four patrol cars showed up. I’m still not sure how they managed to pull 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve traffic on the freeway to a halt, but they did. Officer Bohnert then successfully grabbed the bags and drove back to our van.

We are very grateful for Officer Bohnert’s help, and we would like to wish him a very happy new year!

LAURA STOWE

Oakdale, Calif.

* It was New Year’s Day, about 1:30 in the morning. I had just pulled over to the right shoulder on the San Diego Freeway southbound due to a flat tire.

Part way through changing the tire, with a small pencil light to work with, the whole scene lit up. It was a CHP officer. She asked if I needed any help, and I said no.

Then she offered to remain with her lights on while I finished up. As I looked up to thank her, I noticed the lights from her car glowing behind her. When I finished, she disappeared as quickly as she had arrived. Who said there are no angels?

G. FELKER

Irvine